The IEE and IIE are to combine, forming the IET: Institution of Engineering and Technology. It will come into being in early 2006.
“This is an historic step for both institutions,” said IEE president professor John O’Reilly. “Engineering is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary and global and it is important that institutions reflect the way in which their members operate."
Lord Trefgarne, president of the IIE, said: “The engineering profession has for far too long been fragmented and undervalued. By bringing together all key members of the technical team, whatever their professional status, IET holds out the hope of creating a more coherent and representative organisation for our profession."
The IEE has 120,000 members worldwide and the IIE 40,000. The IEE voted 73.5 per cent in favour, with 18,416 out of 25,050 votes cast, while the IIE voted 95.7 per cent in favour of the merger.
Science and Innovation Minister Lord Sainsbury said: “This is excellent news. The new, multidisciplinary, international and inclusive body will be better able to serve its members’ interests and be fit for purpose in the 21st century.”
The IEE's long term home at Savoy Place, London, will be used as the headquarters of the IET.
The institutes' original plan, to have a three-way merger with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), was discarded in 2004.
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